Enrique d'al Hunter
Enrique d'al Hunter is the Viscount of Wolfswood, a Knight-Captain of Saint Jerome, a Banecaster of the 9th Caliber, and an officer of the Grenadier Guards regiment. Personality Hunter was a skilled warrior, a remarkable tactician, and a charismatic leader, with a reputation for courage and aggression. He was deeply principled, with a strong code of honour and a good sense of justice and mercy. He does not tolerate dishonourable or illegal conduct. He more or less comes across as an ideal knight and a perfect gentleman. Biography Early Life Born in 577 OIE, Hunter is from the Duchy of Wulfram, and was sent to the Duke's court at a young age, where he frequently got into fights to defend other children from bullying. At the age of sixteen, he purchased an Ensign's commission in the Grenadier Guards of Aetoria, and became a Squire to the Viscount of Hugh, where he met and befriended Winthrope d'al Hartigan. Viscount of Wolfswood Hunter built an ironworks within the town, bringing more money and jobs into the fief. He also expanded the road networks, and improved quality of life for his tenants. Military Career The Outpost Already a Captain of the Grenadiers at the war's beginning, Hunter was assigned command of a small outpost along the River Kharan, with a force of fifty grenadiers and a cavalry component of six dragoons, led by the Dragoon Officer. The Ambush In the first year of the war, during the Autumn of 602, Hunter received word of a large Antari supply convoy passing through his territory, with an escort of 200 Antari serfs who were led by a Church Hussar. Deducing that that the supply convoy was probably meant to supply a much larger Antari army for a winter offensive, Hunter decided he would try to capture it by ambushing it as it crossed a narrow bridge. He sent the Dragoon Officer to ride to secure the bridge and prepare the ground, by laying down down some baneseals to prepare a banecast which was meant to even the odds. Hunter and the rest of the Grenadiers arrived a few hours later, taking concealed positions in the woods. As the Antari convoy crossed the bridge, Hunter activated the banetrap, killing countless Antari, before ordering a grenade and a musket volley which killed dozens more. The Dragoon Officer can either offer supporting fire from a nearby tollhouse, or strike the Antari in the rear with a cavalry charge. If the Dragoon Officer decides to charge, and did an adequate job preparing the field, then not only is the convoy captured, but Hunter and his men go on to defeat the Hussar in a duel. The Antari Hussar, Karol of Loch, then surrenders, but not without demanding medical treatment for the captured Antari. Hunter agrees - after the wounded Grenadiers are treated, of course - but reproaches Karol for calling the baneless "chattel." Hunter shows further kindness to Karol by giving up his personal quarters to the Antari Hussar, and instead sleeping in the quarters of a Lieutenant who died in the battle. After the ransom for Karol is received, Hunter has it distributed among the surviving officers, including the protagonist, who also receives a Gryphon of Rendower. Fort Kharan As a reward for his victory, Hunter was given a promotion to Major, and Wulfram decided to expand the outpost into a proper fort, with more men, more supplies, and better fortifications. Captain Lefebvre was assigned to serve as Hunter's chief-of-staff. The fort soon began to suffer supply issues due to the local partisans, who ambushed caravans and forced the outpost to often go without food or coats, and the Tierran Army kept having to reassign more and more soldiers to protect the convoys and patrol the roads. There was nothing Hunter or anyone at the outpost could officially do about this, so Lefebvre took it upon himself to hunt the partisans in secret, sending out Grenadiers to execute civilians who were expected of either being partisans or supplying them, usually on flimsy evidence. The Dragoon Officer can potentially discover this plot and report it to Hunter. If he successfully convinces Hunter of the truth, Hunter will report Lefebvre's crimes directly to Grenadier Square, pay for the protagonist's promotion to Lieutenant, and put his own name on the line to protect the protagonist against Lefebvre's possible vengeance. Lieutenant-colonel Hunter and the Dragoon Officer would meet again at Wulfram's reception, shortly before the Battle of Blogia, when Hunter was a Lieutenant-colonel. It is then revealed that Hunter and Hartigan are friends, and that Hunter recently lost his younger brother to an Antari cannon. The Battle of Blogia Hunter served in Castermaine's Brigade during the Battle of Blogia, commanding the 2nd Battalion of the Grenadiers. When Castermaine failed to evacuate the artillery in time, Hunter launched a sudden counter-attack, driving the Antari back and forming an infantry square. Although they were surrounded and eventually overwhelmed, Hunter was able to buy enough time for the artillery to be evacuated. Hunter himself was killed, along with nearly all of his men. Push for Sainthood After Hunter's death, his mother began lobbying to have him elevated to Sainthood, writing to many of his former friends and subordinates for support. Although Hunter was popular and well-liked, his house does have more than a few enemies, and it is unlikely that the Sainting process will be entirely without opposition. Quotes